Nutrition for Body and Soul

Many believe that drinking a cup of warm water with half of a lemon first thing in the morning is great for one’s health. There are many benefits associated with this drink. These advantages include stimulating the liver, aiding in digestion, resolving heartburn while also balancing body pH.

Sadly, this drink comes with a significant side effect, dental health. The acid in fruit juices will erode teeth enamel. When the lemon is mixed with the warm water, the erosion becomes worse. Basic chemistry shows us that chemical reactions speed up when heat is added, and this is the case with the acid and enamel. Enamel is vital to one’s dental health, and it protects the dentin. Once the enamel is gone, sensitivity increases among with many other problems.

There are several tricks to minimize damage. Use a straw, rinse with filtered water right afterwards, and brush the teeth prior to drinking. These are all useful tips, but will not stop the erosion entirely.

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Thank you Dr. Plant School of Natural Health and Wellness for this info!

Just over twelve years ago, the single most important discovery in the history of modern medicine was announced: the complete DNA sequence of the human genome. Every single one of the three billion letters that make up the “blueprint” (aka DNA) for every cell in your body was now known. Since that time, the medical world has used the human genome to find changes in the letters of the sequence, called mutations, in order to use that information in treating/diagnosing everything from cancer to Alzheimer’s to muscular dystrophy. We’ve even made sequencing cheaper: your own genome can be fully sequenced onto a few DVDs for ~$1,000, compared to the almost $3 billion dollars it cost for the first genome! All of this begs the question, if sequencing is cheap to do and helps prevent/treat chronic, oftentimes fatal, disease why haven’t we cured these diseases? The answer may lie in a new field of research called epigenetics.

If genetics is the study of the letter sequence of DNA and how it is passed on to future generations, then epigenetics can be thought of as the study of changes to the physical structure of DNA that don’t involve changing any letters in the sequence. If we think of DNA as a blueprint and our body as the planned building, one thing that is needed is a ‘foreman’ to know how to build the proper building, aka our body, or they might build the wrong thing even with the correct blueprint! In our bodies, these ‘foremen’ are a collection of small proteins called epigenetic modification enzymes (EMEs). These EMEs will read our DNA blueprint and tell the body to express muscle genes in muscle cells only, and nerve genes in nerve cells only just like a foreman makes sure that you only put toilets in bathrooms and dishwashers in kitchens. Without proper functioning EMEs, our bodies would not know what type, or how many, cells to make! In fact, mutations in the genes for EMEs are common in various types of cancer and numerous clinical trials are currently underway to test the efficacy of modifying EMEs with small molecules in cancer patients in order to halt, or even reverse, malignant growth. So what can you do on a day-to-day basis to give your EMEs the chance to work the best they can? Well, it’s that age-old answer: proper diet.

EMEs require molecules called co-factors for them to work at their best. A lot of the co-factors for EMEs are molecules called metabolites, or products of the breakdown of food in cells. This means, that when your body is digesting food, you are not only extracting energy but you are creating the co-factors necessary for proper cellular behavior. If your cells are deficient in these metabolites, your EMEs may not work as well and cause unusual cellular behavior that can lead to much more serious health problems. Some of these metabolite co-factors include alpha-ketoglutarate, acetyl-CoA, NADH, and methionine. Fortunately, all of these metabolites are found in, or formed from, staples of a healthy diet such as fruits/vegetables, meats, and grains.

There are still many unanswered questions in the field of epigenetics, in fact, the study of epigenetics is such a relatively new discipline that experts still can’t decide on an exact definition of the word! But with the intertwined regulation of metabolism, and cellular proliferation, epigenetics is certainly a term you will be hearing attached to a lot of new health discoveries in the years to come.

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You’ll Rock That Low Carb

You’ve tried it, I’ve tried it. The ol’ low carb diet. We always slip up because we want some comfort food. We want some of that food we had growing up. A little bit of Mom’s grilled cheese. Well, this recipe will fill that hole for you and make you feel like you are cheating when you are not. The bread in this recipe is made from Cauliflower, which is a no-carb vegetable.

You’ll Get Your Veggies In

You need to get those servings of vegetable in some how. Why not make it delicious? You may even be able to get your kids in on this deliciousness.

You’ll Be Excited To See That Variety Helps You Stay On Track

You need to switch it up and make sure that you are allowing yourself healthy cheats in order to maintain weight loss. Let’s try to make this a lifestyle change instead of a diet. The only way that is going to work is if you are able to find new ways to satisfy the cravings. Feel like you are cheating, but watch the scale numbers and say “What? I don’t see any cheating.”

Moringa oleifera: a food plant with multiple medicinal uses.

Abstract

Moringa oleifera Lam (Moringaceae) is a highly valued plant, distributed in many countries of the tropics and subtropics. It has an impressive range of medicinal uses with high nutritional value. Different parts of this plant contain a profile of important minerals, and are a good source of protein, vitamins, beta-carotene, amino acids and various phenolics. The Moringa plant provides a rich and rare combination of zeatin, quercetin, beta-sitosterol, caffeoylquinic acid and kaempferol. In addition to its compelling water purifying powers and high nutritional value, M. oleifera is very important for its medicinal value. Various parts of this plant such as the leaves, roots, seed, bark, fruit, flowers and immature pods act as cardiac and circulatory stimulants, possess antitumor, antipyretic, antiepileptic, antiinflammatory, antiulcer, antispasmodic, diuretic, antihypertensive, cholesterollowering, antioxidant, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antibacterial and antifungal activities, and are being employed for the treatment of different ailments in the indigenous system of medicine, particularly in South Asia. This review focuses on the detailed phytochemical composition, medicinal uses, along with pharmacological properties of different parts of this multipurpose tree.

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1) Water is the catalyst for lipolysis (fat burning).
2) Dehydration is a leading cause of fatigue while working out.
3) Replenishing of electrolytes is critical to avoid cramps.
4) Hydrating cools you down while working out
5) It allows you to be less hungry following your workout.

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More info from Dr. Plant School of Natural Health and Wellness! Thank you Dr. Plant!

Sarcopenia: Age related muscle loss

Two simple things you can do to limit sarcopenia

1) Have an abundance of protein in your diets. Increase your protein intake as you get older. Best protein to supplement your diet is Whey protein. Whey protein has the amino acid profile that more appropriately represents what our muscles need to grow and maintain the mass.

2) Balance hormones to promote muscle development through natural products. A variety of natural products can help balance hormones such as essential oils.

Make sure the Whey is pure!! No GMO’s and from grass fed cows…preferably from New Zealand!